Engine mount



Aug. 16, 1955 L. c. SMALL, JR

ENGINE MOUNT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 28, 1949 Aug. 16, 1955L. c. SMALL, JR 2,715,508

ENGINE MOUNT Original Filed Jan. 28, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1%71231207'LESLIE C. SMA L. ,JFZ.

07270 rrzey Aug. 16, 1955 L. C. SMALL, JR

ENGINE MOUNT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Jan. 28, 1949 k ER Inven%rLESLIE C. SMAL nited States Patent ENGINE Moon Lesiie Q Emmi, Jr., SouthGlastonbury, Conn, assignor to United Aircraft Corporation, EastHartrord, Conn, a corporation of Delaware Original application January23,, 1949, Serial No. 73,4Q4. Divided and this application October 11,1951, Serial No. 250,910

11 Claims. (Cl. 248) This invention is a division of application SerialNo. 73,404, filed January 28, 1949 to John S. Hasbrouck et al, nowPatent No. 2,636,105 and relates to improvements in engine suspensionmeans and has particular reference to a resilient mount which, while notlimited thereto, is particularly adapted to the mounting of engines inaircraft.

An object is to provide improved means for fiexibily mounting anaircraft engine on an aircraft carried engine support including adiaphragm which will support the engine in torque.

A further object is to provide a mount havlng a mounting diaphragm whichmay be used not only for mounting but also for a fire seal.

Another object is to provide means for mounting an aircraft engineincluding a diaphragm which will relieve the blower case of tension andcompression mount loads.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification andclaims, and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate anembodiment of the invention.

Fig. l is a side elevation of the engine mstalled 1n an aircraft.

Pig. 2 is a perspective view of the engine from the rear.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation on a somewhat larger scaleshowing a part of theengine mount structure.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the engine mountsand showing its relation to the diaphragm.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a two-row air-cooled radial aircraft engine 2drives a propeller system 4 mounted thereon. The engine is connected bya mounting diaphragm 6 and engine mounts 8 to a supporting ring 10 onthe airplane. The engine is enclosed within a nacelle 12 which may haveconventional cowl flaps 14. Air enters the nacelle through an inlet 16to carburetor 18.

Engine 2 consists of three main sections, the nose section 20, the powersection 22 and the rear section 24. The nose section 20 contains thereduction gear assembly (not shown) for the propeller system 4 and hasprovisions for the mounting of various accessories or devices on bosses21 on its exterior. Power section 22 includes the crankcase and thecylinders externally of said crankcase. The rear section 24 consists ofthe blower case 36 and the rear case 38.

Engine 2 is connected to supporting ring 10 by the diaphragm 6 and fourengine mounts 8. One of the mounts 8 is shown in detail in Fig. 4 and ina mounted positon in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The circular diaphragm 6 is fixedly mounted on the engine 2 between theblower case 36 and the rear case 38. Four bushings 40 which receive theengine mounts 3 are retained therein by a retaining ring 42 and rivets44. The outer rim 46 of the diaphragm engages a conical flange 48 on thefirewall 50 in the nacelle 12 to form a continuation of the wall. Thissealing engagement may be made in any desired manner.

Referring first to Fig. 4, each mount unit includes a core housing 52with a hub 54 fitting in the bushing 40. This housing 52 has integraltherewith a rigid, forwardly extending strut56 fastened at its .lowerend to-a bracket .58, .Fig. ,3, bolted to the engine crankcase. Thestrut .56may have a flange 60engaging one side of the bracket 58 andheld thereon by a clamping nut 62.

.A flexible core 64 in housing 52 consists ,of a metal ring 66 haveaflange v68 extending therefrom surrounded by a rubber core 70 bondedthereto. Rubber-core 70 has a metal plate 72 bonded to the bottom andasimilar metal plate 74 bonded to the :top. When assembled, flexible core.64 is .within its housing .52, and top plate 74, having a centrallylocated opening, is fixed to said housing to retain said flexible coreby snap ring'76.

On some engines, the core housing 52 of the mount unit is attached tothe engine .by means of bosses cast integral with the blower case ,36.These bosses usually appear above the hollow shell .of the air passageof the blower case, this arrangement causes the loads to beappliedlocally placing high stresses in the blowercase. The diaphragmarrangement, however, relieves the blower case of the tension andcompression mount loads Iby'allowing them to be transmitted through theforwardly extending mount struts 56 directly to the crankcase; thestruts {being able .to slide axially through the bushings 40 in thediaphragm. The diaphragm 6 supports :the engine .in .torque. vIttransmits these torque loads to the blower case butdistributes themequally because it :is clamped between the blower ,case and crankcase.

Improved frictional dampingmeansare associated with each mount .actinginparallel with the shear action of the rubber core 7,0. Thismeanscomprises a metal plate 78 having frictional .material .80 onoppositefaces thereof in a position to engage the outer surface of topplate '74 and the inner surface of a .Belleville spring -82 stressedinto a fiattenedcondition to-urge the parts constantly into frictionalengagement. Spring 82 isheld inplace ,b.y.a snap. ring .84.

The ring .10 .isprovided at each engine mountunit location withastudreceiving sleeve 86 whichextendsthrough the cross section of thering and is fixed thereto, such asvby welding, .this sleeve beingaxially alignedwith strut 56 and housing52.

Themount ,8 can .be attached to the bracket ,58 and diaphragm 6 byinserting the free end of strut:56 through bushing 40 of the diaphragmand into-the bracket, wbeing held therein. .by the nut 62.

'Ring 66 has a centrally located threaded bore;accessible through thetopplate 74, which is-aligned-with the sleeve 86-when the engine is inpositioninthe naeelle. 'A;threaded stud 88 is inserted through thesleeve and'screwed into said'bore forming a rigid connection. Details ofasimilar mount are disclosed in Tyler et a1. Patent No. 2,477,501,issuedJuly 26, 1949.

It istobe understoodthat the invention. is not limited to the specificembodiment herein illustrated .and ,described but maybe used in otherways without departure from its spirit as defined by the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. In combination, an engine having a diaphragm secured thereto, anengine support disposed in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of theengine, a plurality of mounts for connecting said engine to said supportand means for connecting said diaphragm to said mounts for transmittingtorsional loads from the engine to said mounts, said means including ahub on each mount and a bushing for each hub in said diaphragm forreceiving said hubs.

2. An engine having a case in combination with supporting structureincluding a plurality of mounting units attached to and extendingoutwardly from said engine case, and a diaphragm secured to said case inaxially spaced relation to the attachment of said units, said diaphragmextending outwardly from the engine and engaging the units, saiddiaphragm having openings therein through which the units extend and inwhich the units are piloted. 3. An engine having a case, in combinationwith a supporting member extending around said engine and having a wallstructure adjacent thereto, a plurality of engine mounts extending fromthe engine case to the supporting member, and a diaphragm connected tosaid engine case and extending outwardly to engage said wall structure,said diaphragm extending at an angle to the axis of each mount andhaving openings therein in which the mounts are secured.

4. An engine mount structure for connecting a supporting structure to anengine having a case, said mount structure including an annulardiaphragm connected at its inner edge to said case, a housing mounted insaid diaphragm and having an extending strut adapted to be connected tothe case at a point spaced from the diaphragm, a member located withinsaid housing and having a projecting stud adapted to be attached to saidsupporting structure, and resilient means supporting said member withinthe housing.

5. An engine mount structure for connecting a supporting structure to anengine having a case, said mount structure including an annulardiaphragm connected at its inner edge to said case, a housing having anextending strut adapted to be connected to the case at a point spacedfrom the diaphragm, a hub located on said strut, said diaphragm having abushing mounted therein to receive each hub, a member located withinsaid housing and having a projecting stud adapted to be attached to saidsupporting structure, and resilient means supporting said member withinthe housing.

6. An engine mount structure for connecting an engine having a crankcaseto a supporting structure surrounding said crankcase, said mountstructure including an annular diaphragm attached at its inner edge tosaid crankcase, said diaphragm extending radially outwardly from saidcrankcase, in combination with a number of individual mounts arrangedaround said crankcase in angularly spaced relation, each mount includinga housing having a projecting strut, a member located withinsaid'housing having a projecting stud extending in substantially theopposite direction from said strut, and resilient means secured to saidmember and positioned between it and the housing to support the memberresiliently within the housing, said studs being adapted to be attachedto the supporting structure, and the struts being secured to the engine,said strut extending through the diaphragm, each housing having a hubwhich fits in a bushing in the diaphragm.

7. In combination, an engine, a cowling around said engine, a diaphragmfixed to said engine and extending radially therefrom, an engine supportin said cowling, a wall structure extending between said cowling andsaid diaphragm and a plurality of mount units connecting said engine tosaid support and passing through said diaphragm, said mounts each havinga hub, said diaphragm having a bushing for each hub to be mounted in.

8. An engine having a case, in combination with a supporting memberextending around said engine and having a wall structure adjacentthereto, a plurality of engine mounts extending from the engine case tothe supporting member, and a diaphragm connected to said engine case andextending outwardly to engage said Wall structure, said diaphragmextending at an angle to the axis of each mount and having openingstherein in which the mounts are secured, said wall structure having asubstantially conical inner edge, and the diaphragm having a similarcooperating outer. edge. 7

9. An engine mount structure for connecting an engine having a case to asupporting structure surrounding said case, said mount structureincluding an annular diaphragm attached at its inner edge to saidcase,.said diaphragm extending radially outwardly from said case, incombination with a number of individual mounts arranged around said casein angularly spaced relation, each mount including a housing having aprojecting strut, a member located within said housing having aprojecting stud extending in substantially the opposite direction fromsaid strut, and resilient means secured -to said member and positionedbetween it and the housing to support the member resiliently within thehousing, said studs being adapted to be attached to the supportingstructure, and the struts being secured to the engine, each strutextending through an opening in said diaphragm and being piloted thereinso that torque from said engine may be transmitted through saiddiaphragm.

10. In combination, an engine, an annular diaphragm, means for securingsaid annular diaphragm to said engine, an engine supporha plurality ofmounting units, each mounting unit being connected to said engine at oneend, each mounting unit being connected to said support at another end,and means for transmitting loads from the engine to said mounting units,said last named means including a connection between said annulardiaphragm and each of said mounting units at a place intermediate theends of each of said units.

11. In combination, an engine,-an annular diaphragm,

means for securing said annular diaphragm to said References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lord Dec..19, 1944'2,376,317 Wallerstein May 15, 1945 2,377,006 Heinemann et al. May 29,1945 2,379,315 Moorehead June 26, 1945 2,477,501 1949 Tyler et al. July26,

